Publications by authors named "C W Bierman"

Neoadjuvant ipilimumab and nivolumab induces high pathologic response rates (pRRs) in clinical stage III nodal melanoma, and pathologic response is strongly associated with prolonged relapse-free survival (RFS). The PRADO extension cohort of the OpACIN-neo trial ( NCT02977052 ) addressed the feasibility and effect on clinical outcome of using pathologic response after neoadjuvant ipilimumab and nivolumab as a criterion for further treatment personalization. In total, 99 patients with clinical stage IIIb-d nodal melanoma were included and treated with 6 weeks of neoadjuvant ipilimumab 1 mg kg and nivolumab 3 mg kg.

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Background: Guidelines for pathological evaluation of neoadjuvant specimens and pathological response categories have been developed by the International Neoadjuvant Melanoma Consortium (INMC). As part of the Optimal Neo-adjuvant Combination Scheme of Ipilimumab and Nivolumab (OpACIN-neo) clinical trial of neoadjuvant combination anti-programmed cell death protein 1/anti-cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4 immunotherapy for stage III melanoma, we sought to determine interobserver reproducibility of INMC histopathological assessment principles, identify specific tumour bed histopathological features of immunotherapeutic response that correlated with recurrence and relapse-free survival (RFS) and evaluate proposed INMC pathological response categories for predicting recurrence and RFS.

Patients And Methods: Clinicopathological characteristics of lymph node dissection specimens of 83 patients enrolled in the OpACIN-neo clinical trial were evaluated.

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Background: With the approval of adjuvant therapy for stage III melanoma, accurate staging is more important than ever. Sentinel node biopsy (SNB) is an accurate staging tool, yet the presence of capsular nevi (CN) can lead to a false-positive diagnosis.

Patients And Methods: Retrospective analysis of the American Joint Committee on Cancer 7th edition stage IIIA melanoma patients who were treated at our institute between 2000 and 2015.

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Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) is considered a potential precursor of invasive breast carcinoma (IBC). Studies aiming to find markers involved in DCIS progression generally have compared characteristics of IBC lesions with those of adjacent synchronous DCIS lesions. The question remains whether synchronous DCIS and IBC comparisons are a good surrogate for primary DCIS and subsequent IBC.

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Article Synopsis
  • The OpACIN-neo trial aimed to find a less toxic yet equally effective dosing schedule for the combination treatment of ipilimumab and nivolumab in patients with macroscopic stage III melanoma, as current doses had high toxicity and limited broader use.
  • The trial involved 18+ year-old patients with resectable stage III melanoma and included three different neoadjuvant dosing regimens across multiple medical centers in Australia, Sweden, and the Netherlands.
  • Primary endpoints of the study focused on measuring severe immune-related toxicities within the first 12 weeks and the rates of radiological and pathological responses six weeks after treatment.
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